Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

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Upon reading this passage from Hosea 6:1-6, I can interpret that the first step to achieving the mercy of God is the acknowledgement of the Lord. The passage's concluding phrase "it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" resonated with me most for the meaning of the text as a whole. Through this revelation, it can be deduced that one must acknowledge the powers of the Lord to truly reach a merciful reciprocation of love. Patience is key and it seems as if the writer is in no rush to find the Lord, but they admit that their awareness of God will ultimately allow them to reach their desired state of acceptance. The comparison of "piety" to "a morning cloud" establishes the notion that nothing is permanent and that, like the early morning dew, belief has the tendency to fade through tough times. But the message of this reading is that, no matter how loyal a follower or devotee one is of something, the main cause for a sense of self-fulfillment is that there was an emotional attachment in the first place. Whether or not the continuous nature of a belief in God remains constant or waning, the ultimate realization of the Lord's powers will help grant you a merciful and loving response from Him. The passage is of course open to interpretation, but I feel that its message is that, no matter how passionate your relationship is to the belief in the Lord, the critical reminder to maintain is that He must at least be acknowledged in times of great need for love and mercy.

David Schoen, SFC '20